Minolta SR-T 101
The camera The Minolta SR-T 101'SR-T stands for '''S'hashinki 'R'efu-'T'''ashima, attributed to Kazuo '''T'ashima for the combined through-the-lens metering innovations developed for the SR-T series. is a 35mm SLR camera made by Minolta Camera Co. Ltd, Japan, premiering in the March 1966 Japan Camera Show JCII Lewis ed., "The History of the Japanese Camera", p121. Sales began in April 1966 and it stayed in production with only minor changes for ten years, the result of the thorough development effort that was put into the camera. The body is a direct continuation of the Minolta SR-7 model V of 1962, itself an innovative camera, with the addition of through-the-lens (TTL) metering and additional features. Minolta combined significant innovations into the SR-T 101 TTL metering system including: * weighted two cell CLC metering reading the upper and lower fields, which compensated for lighting contrasts between these fields; * automatic full-aperture metering with compensation for shooting aperture; * metering for combined aperture, shutter speed and film sensitivity settings, with exposure indicator needle, follower needle and shutter speed scale visible in finder; * automatic aperture-range indexing when mounting a lens; * meter power-off interlock, to prevent inaccurate metering in depth of field preview aperture stop-down mode. While the 1963 Topcon RE Super pioneered full aperture metering and the 1964 Pentax Spotmatic used two cells for averaging metering, no other Japanese SLRs available in 1966 combined all of the above innovations. Minolta SR-T 101 17.JPG Minolta SR-T 101 20.JPG When first introduced, the standard kit lens was the 58mm/f1.4 MC Rokkor-PF, with 6 elements in 5 groups. About four months after launch, the 55mm/f1.7 MC Rokkor-PF, 6 elements in 5 groups, was added as an alternate kit lens. Then in September 1968Justin Bailey, "Minolta Lens Collection", the 58mm/f1.2 MC Rokkor-PG, 7 elements in 5 groups with 8 aperture blades, became available. These earlier kit lenses featured knurled metal barrels, versus later rubber-gripped MC Rokkor-X (or MC Rokkor) versions. A very well crafted ever-ready case was available in either brown or black leather to protect the camera with normal lens. A longer-nosed black ever-ready case was made for the SR-T101 and 58mm/f1.2 combination. The SR-T has a bright finder with a central micro prism focusing aid that proves to be very accurate in most cases, since even when no visible lines are present in the subject, all out-of-focus objects appear to shimmer. Two exposure meter needles and the selected shutter speed are shown in the viewfinder. A small rectangle to the right indicates the acceptable needle deflection range for a healthy battery when the ON/OFF switch on the camera base is set to the battery check position labelled BC. Battery power is saved by placing the switch in the OFF position whenever the camera is not used. Battery power may also be saved by keeping the lens cap on whenever possible, since the exposure meter draws current in proportion to light intensity entering the camera lens. The metering circuit is dependent on an obsolete mercury battery. It may be replaced using a zinc-air hearing aid 1.4-volt battery, which usually comes in a six-pack and is not very expensive. Several internal parts may fail on a forty-year-old camera, and the SR-T 101 is no exception. The only serious trouble is related to the exposure meter movement itself, in which the tiny coil tends to break, this situation requires a replacement. The back door rubber sealing foam will usually need replacement, and so will a small strip of same cushioning the mirror when it goes up. A strip of this may be cut from a similar sealing material from a hardware store. All other problems are easily put right with a minimum of effort and tools, unless the camera is worn out, which rarely happens. In fact, anybody who figures out how to remove the top cover without causing any damage may repair it oneself. How old is my Minolta SR-T 101? During the ten-year manufacturing period of the Minolta SR-T101, many small changes were made to the camera body. Several of these changes are easily detected and they can help determine time of manufacture to within a few years. It should be noted that any part of a camera may be replaced due to repair and smaller parts are more easily swapped, but normally these features may be considered original. Top cover and base plate are parts usually replaced due to impact damages, and a replacement top cover would not have the original serial number. '''1966-late 1969: the first generation 101’s have a finely-knurled black shutter speed barrel (even on chromed body models), and have single slot screws holding the base plate and top cover on, while later generations use Phillips head screws. From 1966 into 1967, the two screws at the back of the top cover were the same distance from the eyepiece, while on all later SR-T‘s the right-hand screw is farther away from the eyepiece. From 1968 on, the black plastic shoulder pieces between the front cover and the top cover are held in place by visible screws. In Fall 1968 Minolta began selling black body SR-T101's, like image at left, from serial number 1270xxx on. First generation serial numbers range from 10001xx to approximately 1650xxx. 1970-1973: the second generation and later 101’s have a coarse ridged chromed shutter speed barrel. From 1972 on, as seen on the inside of the top cover, the film counter clear plastic window is glued in place, while on earlier versions it is held in place by an internal bracket. Second generation serial numbers range from approximately 1643xxx to above 369xxxx, with an overlapping transition from the first generation and then with gaps in the range. 1973-1975: on the third generation 101’s, the black plastic piece under the accessory shoe protrudes up forming a ridge in front of the shoe, while earlier versions have a single metal peg. Interestingly, third generation serial numbers range from 290xxxx to 292xxxx, filling a gap the earlier version range. The lack of mirror lockup (MLU) on an SR-T101 is not an exact indicator of its age. MLU first began to be discontinued early in the transition to the second generation, but did continue at least until the third generation SR-T. Metering: CLC and full aperture TTL Camera ads from the 1970s boast of its CLC (Contrast Light Compensator) metering, calling it "the brain". CLC is a form of TTL metering with two CdS cells. It compensates for over-exposure by assuming that the upper side of the picture is the sky (overcast) and that the lower part is the subject you want to photograph. ISO values can be set from 6 to 6400. The Minolta SR-T 101 was one of the first cameras to have full-aperture TTL metering. This was possible thanks to the fact that Minolta had placed the aperture ring on its Rokkor MC lenses close to the camera body. This way, the position of the aperture ring MC tab communicated mechanically to the metering system inside the camera. What is actually transmitted is not the aperture itself, but the offset between the selected aperture and full aperture. Other specifications * The SR-T 101 had a cloth focal plane shutter with speeds from 1 sec to 1/1000 sec. The film advance lever automatically cocks the shutter, preventing double exposures. * The SR-T 101 had additional features which set it apart from many other SLRs of that time, like mirror lockup, a mechanical self-timer and a depth-of-field preview aperture stop-down button. * The SR-T 101 uses a PX625 cell for the metering system only. With a dead battery, all functions will continue to work except for the meter. ---- Links * Minolta SR-T series; an overview of features. * Review at Classic Cameras * Rokkor files * SR-T 101 Manual (JPEG Scans) * SRT-101, SRT-101 noir, SRT-101b on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand * On www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand : ** Minolta SRT 101 ** Minolta SRT 101 ** Minolta SRT 101 ** Minolta SRT 101 noir ** Minolta SRT 101b ** Minolta SRT 101b ** English Manual ** Mode d'emploi * Video Manual by Shawnee Union * SRT-101 Complete Walkthrough video * Minolta SR-T series Statistic Price Info's at AuctionPriceTracker (English) * Minolta SR-T series Statistic Price Info's at AuctionPriceTracker (German) * Minolta SR-T series Statistic Price Info's at AuctionPriceTracker (Italian) Category: Japanese 35mm SLR Category: Minolta SR mount SR-T 101 Category: M SR-T 101